HERNDON, Va., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The sole purpose of a "for profit" corporation's existence is to make money. There is a line -- sometimes clearly visible, sometimes not -- over which corporate leadership shouldn't cross.
We have seen defense contractors, for example, who have gored the United States by over-pricing products or services. Corporate leadership of such companies proves willing to do anything to make a buck.
There are corporate leaders, however, who, while faced with an opportunity to maximize profits within the legal boundaries of their playing field, opt not to do so for reasons related to making a stronger America.
One such individual is Richard Kincaid, president of K&F Electronics. To make his business more profitable and to legally avoid demanding U.S. regulations, Kinkaid could opt to have his products made outside the United States. While many companies have done so, Kinkaid represents a dying breed of individuals who place more value on being able to place "Made in the U.S.A." labels on his products than on making a profit.
Kinkaid operates a family business involved in printed circuit boards. His product is installed in everything from household appliances to explosive devices.
Kinkaid's focus on remaining true to U.S. workmanship has been tested as his company continues to lose business to China's much cheaper labor. It is difficult for K&F U.S.-made products to compete with the Chinese market as Kinkaid's costs are two to four times greater as a result. Should things continue on this course, Kinkaid estimates he will be out of business in 10 years.
But Kinkaid is committed to his products remaining true red, white and blue in spite of the financial drain. One can easily envision Kinkaid, standing with his cape and the American flag waving in the background.
One would hope other businessmen, especially those who have served in previous high-level government positions, to have greater sensitivities to what kind of commercial activities could prove damaging to the United States on a national security basis and therefore would feel obligated to favor a strong America over corporate profits.
That brings us to former U.S. Vice President Al Gore's sale of Current TV to Qatar's al-Jazeera network.
It should be noted al-Jazeera is owned by Qatar's emir. And while the United States and Qatar have friendly relations, the emir has donated $400 million to the terrorist organization Hamas, which controls Gaza. The network is known for its heavy anti-American slant, often communicated to Arab listeners while a different tone is played by its English-speaking stations.
While a news agency is ethically obliged not to be biased, al-Jazeera is openly biased. In 2008, Israel had to release Palestinian terrorist Samir Kuntar. He spent decades in prison for having gone into Israel and brutally killing a father and his daughter. He shot the father and then smashed the young girl's head against a rock. Al-Jazeera had a party for Kuntar after his release.
One of al-Jazeera's correspondents has also been convicted as an agent of the 9/11 terrorist group.
In selling Current TV for half a billion dollars, Gore naively claims he did so based on al-Jazeera's "journalistic integrity." Thus, with the stroke of a pen, Gore opens up Current TV's 40 million viewers to al-Jazeera.
Interestingly, while Gore initially declined to get involved in the sale to al-Jazeera, the promise to him personally of a $100 million fee enabled him to finally see its "journalistic integrity."
Al-Jazeera will initially have stations in the United States populated with large Muslim communities. One can expect the anti-American incitement of Muslims by its Arabic-speaking stations will be continued in the United States.
While Gore fails to recognize this national security danger, Accuracy in Media, a conservative watchdog group, does and brought a lawsuit against the sale. The suit has brought to light documentation of al-Jazeera's intention to play down its connection to Islamist groups while slowly slipping Current TV into its normal agenda by giving it a kinder, gentler face.
As several critics are calling for a congressional investigation into Current TV's purchase by al-Jazeera, high-priced lobbyists have succeeded in blocking the effort.
Claims alone by former al-Jazeera reporters of editorial interference by the emir in the station's messages justify such an investigation. An investigative report in the German Der Spiegel magazine notes al-Jazeera airs "propaganda for the Muslim Brotherhood."
In an effort to put a democratic "happy face" on al-Jazeera, it is scheduled to broadcast its first program in the U.S. from Washington's Newseum building, a museum the mission of which is "educating the public about the value of a free press in a free society."
It is interesting to note in an unrelated transaction in which the wealthy, conservative-minded brothers David and Charles Koch are seeking to buy the Los Angeles Times, California legislators have quickly acted concerning objections the buyers allegedly are "anti-labor, anti-environment, anti-public education and anti-immigrant."
Yet few federal legislators are acting on Current TV's acquisition by anti-American al-Jazeera.
Even democracy supporters in Egypt deny al-Jazeera correspondents a presence at their activities as it is well-recognized the news agency serves as a front for the Muslim Brotherhood.
For all intents and purposes, al-Jazeera is the face of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States and should register as a foreign agent.
It is the all-important dollar, not U.S. security, that is motivating several Americans to support al-Jazeera's purchase.
If more Richard Kinkaids and fewer Al Gores were involved, the United States' national security interests might prevail.
--
(A retired U.S. Marine, Lt. Col. James Zumwalt served in the Vietnam War, the U.S. invasion of Panama and the first Gulf War. He has written "Bare Feet, Iron Will -- Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefields," "Living the Juche Lie: North Korea's Kim Dynasty" and "Doomsday: Iran -- The Clock is Ticking.")
--
(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)
